Chuck Vs The Bandwagon
by TheGoldenHum
Summary: This is my attempt at the iPod shuffle mix story thing. lol. Features songs by: Anberlin, Coldplay, Jack's Mannequin & more! Will contain: humor, angst, romance, & anything else I can think of. : Rated K plus for minor language. Ch. 9 is up!
1. Alexithymia

**Alexithymia**

**(part one)**

**Don't try to wake me up even if the sun really does come out tomorrow**

**Don't believe anything I say anymore in the morn in the morning**

**Bricks to this old house are breaking Steel would've weathered but now forlorning**

**It's alarming how loud the silence screams no warn no warn no warning**

He stood in front of the mirror attempting to tie the fabric hanging around his neck the way Uncle Devon had shown him. He smiled at his reflection, revealing the missing tooth he'd lost last week.

He frowned slightly at the crooked tie, but decided to leave it alone as not to ruin his progress. His parents were going to be proud of him anyway.

"What about Jake?" He heard his father's voice demand. He looked to the open door, but could only hear muffled voices. He climbed onto his bed and began to put his shoes on. He couldn't wait until they got to see Aunt Ellie tomorrow. He'd get to tell her all about how he was the only person in his class who could tie his shoes without any help.

"Dammit, Chuck! We can't keep going through this every time I have a—."

"Sarah!" His said, cutting her off.

Jake looked up to the mirror to see his own saddened expression. Removing his tie, he made his way outdoors.

*****

"Chuck, we can't have the same argument every time I have to go on a mission," Sarah said, her voice lowered as not to allow Jake to hear.

"Sarah, this one is _really_ dangerous. He's a really smart, and I stress 'really smart' guy. No one who has ever gone up against him has survived."

"That's why I'm going to be _undercover_," she said as she finished putting her other earring in. She turned to face her husband. It was obvious how upset he was about this one. "Chuck, I understand that you probably know more about it because of the flash, but--."

"What about Jake?" He asked again. "I can't do this without you." When he was scared, his tactic was their son. Unfortunately, that's when things would get ugly.

*****

Casey watched Jacob Bartowski slide the kitchen door shut and make his way to the swing set. He wrapped the hose and made his way through the gate that the adjacent backyards shared.

"Jacob," Casey greeted, sitting in the second swing.

"Hi Casey," Jake sighed.

"You look sharp," Casey said, pointing to the khaki pants and red button down shirt that he could only guess Sarah picked out for him to wear. The little black Converse were definitely his father's doing.

"Thanks."

"It makes me wonder why you're sitting out here on a swing, all depressed."

"They're fighting again," the young boy said quietly.

As if on cue, Casey heard Sarah slam the front door and a second later, they watched her Porsche speed down the street. He looked at Jake, who'd obviously seen it, too. One of the unshed tears the young Bartowski had been fighting since Casey walked up, escaped, and was followed by the rest of them.

*****

If there was one thing Chuck Bartowski still needed to learn, it was when to keep his mouth shut. He let out a frustrated sigh and headed to his son's room. He was going to be disappointed that they weren't going to go out tonight as planned.

"Jake?" He asked, opening the cracked door a little more. "Jake?" He entered the freakishly neat bedroom to find it vacant. Panic swept over him as he remembered Sarah exit the house without the child. "Jake!" he called, looking in the Game Room. He made his way back to the living room. "Jacob!" He turned to face the kitchen and caught sight of Casey at the swing set. Sure enough, Jake was there.

Chuck let out a relieved sigh and pulled out his phone to order a pizza.

**Addictions fill the table where their family used to sit and conversate**

**Conversate to the sound to the sound of the record player with its jumping needle**

**And the lights that grow dim over time**

**With downcast eyes there's more to living than being alive **

**With downcast eyes there's more to living than being alive **

**Whoa-oh-oh**

Dinner was nearly silent. There was no background music from the iPod dock on the counter and Casey was sitting at the table instead of his mother.

Jake looked up as his father took another swig of his beer. He only drank when his mom was on business trips or if he was with Uncle Devon. When his mom was gone, Jake knew better than to ask about it. All his father would say is that he loved him, it'd be okay, and Mommy would be home soon. Then, he'd slip off into the game room and play a video game or stare at pictures for a long time.

"Daddy? Do you want to play Mario Kart with me?" The only time he enjoyed video games was playing with his father or Uncle Morgan. The rest of the time, he preferred the outdoors or coloring.

Chuck looked down at his son. He looked so much like Sarah. He had her eyes and hair. Though everyone said that Jake was a good mix of them both, only Sarah's features stuck out to him.

"Maybe later, Jake," Chuck said. He watched his son's face fall.

"Can I watch TV then?" He asked in a disappointed tone. Chuck nodded and Jake slid out of the chair, making his way into the living room.

"Way to go, Moron," Casey growled. Chuck looked up at the familiar insult. "You and Mrs. Moron need to keep it in the Castle."

"What are you talking about?" Chuck asked, picking up the plates to put them in the sink. He wasn't even sure he wanted to know.

"Jacob was outside, crying, because he heard the two of you."

"He what?"

"He heard you fighting. I've never seen anyone try so hard not to cry, and I've been in the business a long time. But when Walker sped outta here, the kid couldn't stop." Casey lowered his voice to another growl. "If I _ever_ have to lie to that kid again because of you two, I'll kill you both personally."

Chuck had known John Casey for ten years, but this? This was something new.

**Are you where you thought you'd be? So beautiful and only twenty three**

**Opposition rests in their hearts with no with no with no opportunity**

**It's not that we don't talk, it's just no one really listens and honesty fades**

**Like a politician lost in the course all smiles, but no one remembers our names**

Sarah Walker Bartowski walked along the secluded beach, shoes in her hands. Her hair and dress blew with the breeze. She found a spot on the sand and sat down facing the ocean.

It was the same spot that, ten years ago, she'd asked Chuck to trust her. It was the same spot Chuck had asked her to be his wife. It was the same spot that she'd told him she was pregnant. It was _their_ spot.

Ten years ago, she would have laughed at the person who dared to tell her that she'd be a wife and mother right now. She had been one of the CIA's best and most promising agents and, ten years ago, settling down was _not_ on her list of priorities.

Now, she wouldn't have it any other way. She was still one of the CIA's top agents, and would probably always be, but now she had a wonderful husband and a beautiful little boy at home.

She pulled her cell phone from her purse. A picture of Chuck and Jake filled the screen. This picture could always make her smile. She'd come to tell them that dinner was ready, but found them sitting on the Game Room couch with the same intense look in their eyes and the same determined look on their faces. They were even sitting in the same position.

She scrolled to the next image. Jake sat at the kitchen table with a birthday cake in front of him. He had Chuck's smile. She pitied the woman who would fall for that goofy, Bartowski grin the same way she had.

With a sigh, she put the phone away and began to watch the waves crash against the shore. However, her mind couldn't stay off of Chuck. They'd been fighting a lot recently. She understood how he felt when she went on solo assignments. She felt the same when he and Casey were ordered to go without her. They were both scared. There was always the possibility that something would go wrong and now they had Jake to worry about.

This mission was definitely dangerous and Chuck had a right to be nervous. Luckily, Casey would be with her. Still, there was a hint of fear about leaving Jake motherless. Chuck wasn't wrong about how dangerous the mission was. Getting home could be a challenge this time.

**With downcast eyes there's more to living than being alive**

**With downcast eyes there's more to living than being alive**

Devon Woodcomb walked to the door. The last person he expected to see was his brother-in-law standing on his doorstep.

"Hey Chuck!" He greeted with a smile. "Come on in."

"Thanks, Awesome."

"Ellie should be home in a few minutes," he said. "Want some coffee?"

"That'd be great," he said, following Devon into the kitchen.

"Sit down, Bro," Awesome said, returning with two cups of coffee. "What brings you by tonight?"

"Sarah and I hot into a pretty big fight."

"How bad?"

"Bad enough to make her speed off before I had time to react."

"Not awesome," he winced. "What happened?"

"Spy stuff, mostly. I can't really talking."

"I get it," Awesome nodded. "She's probably just cooling off, Bro."

**With downcast eyes there's more to living than being alive**

**With downcast eyes there's more to living than being alive**

"Hit me," Jake said, tossing chips into the pile. He accepted the new card and took a quick drink of his juice box. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Casey said, studying his own cards.

"Why do you call Momma 'Walker'?"

"Because," Casey said, tossing his own chips in the pile, "That was her last name when I met her, way before she married your dad."

"Like Aunt Ellie? Her last name is Woodcomb, but it was Bartowski first."

"How old are you again?"

"Five." Casey let out an impressed grunt. Jacob Bartowski was too smart. "I'll raise you twenty." Casey studied the little boy.

"You're cocky. Don't get cocky, Bartowski." Jake grinned. "What?"

"You lost," the little boy smiled.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Grandpa Jack says I got my talent at reading people from him."

"Really..."

"You have a bad poker face and you get really defensive and your voice gets all shaky." Casey couldn't argue with that. He tossed his cards on the table. With Chuck's brain and Sarah's intuition, Jacob Bartowski had the potential to be one of the greatest agents in the world. He could practically hear Chuck's voice scolding his thoughts.

"Earth to Casey!" Jake said, snapping him back to reality.

"Yeah?"

"Can I watch TV?"

"Isn't it your bedtime?"

"Nope," he smiled again. "You lost. I get to stay up until they get home."

"Get out of here, before I knock your other tooth out," he said. The little boy giggled and ran into the living room, leaving Casey to clean up their game.

**Don't try to wake me up even if the sun really does come out tomorrow**

**Don't believe anything you say anymore in the morn in the morning**

"I'm sorry, Chuck," Ellie said, entering the living room again. "She didn't answer."

"Thanks anyway, Sis," Chuck sighed. He knew she wouldn't answer anyway. Awesome was right, she was probably just cooling off. He tried to think of the places she would go.

"Where's Jake?" Ellie asked, noticing for the first time in ten minutes that her five year old nephew wasn't with her brother.

"He's at the house with Casey."

"How's he handling it?" She asked. It was a good question. He really hadn't even asked Jake how he was dealing with it.

"Uh, to be honest, I haven't really talked to him about it," he sighed ruefully. "Casey said he heard some of the argument and that he saw Sarah drive off. He said that Jake was upset, but he seemed fine at dinner. Chuck thought back to Casey's promise and suddenly a light bulb went off in his head. He knew where she was.

*****

"What's the Castle?" Jake asked. Casey looked at Jake. He never expected that question.

"What?"

"What's the Castle?" Jake repeated.

"It's a giant, stone house where kings live." Chuck was definitely a dead man when he got home.

"I know what _a_ castle is, but you told Dad to keep it in _the_ Castle. What did you mean?"

"It's just a figure of speech." One didn't have to be a spy to see the disbelief written on Jake's face.

"That doesn't make sense! You told him to leave it _inside_ but it really means _outside_?" Casey was caught at a stand still.

"Is this movie almost over?"

"We just put it on," Jake retorted.

"Then, watch it."

They watched the movie in silence for a few minutes before Jake spoke up again.

"Casey?"

"Yeah?"

"Were they fighting because of me?" Casey turned to look at the sleepy five year old.

"What?"

"Were they fighting because of me?"

"No, they weren't."

"Then, why did they both leave?" Casey could have killed both, Chuck and Sarah, for that. It wasn't fair to Jake to have to go through their crap.

"Your mom got mad and left so she could cool off. Your dad went to go talk to her," he said, settling on that as an answer. They were lucky he knew them well enough that it probably wasn't a lie.

"It's ten o'clock," Jake pointed out.

"Listen to me, I'd kill the before letting them leave you, Jacob. Plus, they love you too much."

"Then, why were they fighting?"

"Your dad probably said something stupid." Casey snorted, "He never could keep his mouth shut." Casey could tell that Jake wasn't satisfied with the answer, but he dropped the subject anyway.

"Damn you, Bartowski," Casey growled under his breath.

**With downcast eyes there's more to living than being alive**

**With downcast eyes there's more to living than being alive**

**

* * *

**_A/N: _So, I've gotta be honest and say this is my first ever songfic. I'm typically not a songfic person, but I've been reading some good stuff along with the shuffle bandwagon, so I figured I'd get in on it, too and test out my hand at it. :) I was listening to this song in my car and could practically visualize the opening scene. :)

The song is called "Alexithymia" by Anberlin. This is only part one. The next chapter and song will be part two. I tried to begin this story with a happier beginning, but this one wouldn't leave me alone until I had written it. I tried to end it as a one chappy story, but all of the endings I had were...well...let's just say I couldn't allow my mind to go there. lol.

ANYHOO!!! I hope you like it thus far. Thanks for taking the time to read it! Please review!

p.s. Sorry for any grammar mistakes! I'm typically pretty good about checking for that but it's 3:32 am and I'm sleep deprived...plus, I don't have a regular beta.


	2. The Scientist

_A/N: Thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed the "Alexithymia" chapter! I was blown away by the awesome responses! This is part 2 of 2. I almost went into a part 3, but none of the other songs on the shuffle worked with the story. :( Without further ado...  
_

**The Scientist**

**(part 2)**

**Come up to meet you tell you I'm sorry You don't know how lovely you are**

**I had to find you tell you I need you Tell you I've set you apart**

Chuck Bartowski stepped out of his vehicle. He should have come here in the first place. If he'd been thinking, this would have been the first stop. Who was he kidding? He needed to clear his head every bit as much as she did. Ironically enough, the very place he'd wanted to come, she'd beaten him to.

They'd had plenty of blowouts since the day they met, but that one was definitely in the top five and definitely the worst one they'd had since they got married.

Chuck watched Sarah as she watched the waves crash against the shore. The last time they'd met like this, she was telling him that she'd just found out she was pregnant with Jake. He'd watched her from afar, the same way he was doing now.

It was time to bite the bullet. He took a deep breath before setting off on his trek to the shoreline. A million thoughts raced through his head as he walked down the small hill.

"Hey," he said, softly. She looked up.

"Hey."

He sat down beside her. "Sarah, I'm sorry," he said, "I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't have said that. I was out of line."

She took a deep breath before answering. "It's okay, Chuck. You were right." She looked him in the eye. "I'm sorry, too."

**Tell me your secrets and ask me your questions Oh, let's go back to the start**

**Running in circles coming up tails heads on the science apart**

There were a few moments of silence. They both had a hundred different things to say, but neither found the courage to get the words out.

"I'm scared, Sarah," Chuck said after awhile. "I'm really scared." There was the hint of tears in his eyes. "I know, you're the super spy and you know what you're doing and I'm just the nerd husband who doesn't have a clue, but that's why I'm so scared. What happens if you get into a life or death situation and you need back up? Casey isn't going to be there to help you."

Normally, she would have at least chuckled at the way he seemed to think that Casey was the only one who provided decent back up, but she placed her head on his shoulder instead. Sarah felt his arms wrap around her, holding her securely in place.

**Nobody said it was easy It's such a shame for us to part Nobody said it was easy No one ever said it would be this hard Oh take me back to the start**

They sat entwined, watching the waves, in silence. Neither one of them could predict what was going to happen when Sarah went on her mission. It could easily go from a two week deal to him losing his wife forever. Chuck began to feel light headed again, until he felt Sarah laugh slightly against him.

"What?" He asked, as the light headedness slowly went away.

"I was just thinking about when you proposed."

Chuck snorted in amusement. "I was freaking out."

"I was so mad at you because you put the Intersect back in your head. It didn't help that you kept me waiting for twenty minutes before you decided to show up."

"Well, you should know that I was here, actually. I was so nervous I was hyperventilating." Sarah started laughing. "I'm serious!" He said defensively. "I had to call Awesome and everything."

"You were that nervous?"

"It took two years for us to get where we were! I was afraid that if I asked and you said 'no', then it would be extremely awkward and you'd ask for reassignment."

"Seriously?" She asked, moving out of his embrace to face him. He nodded.

"I don't think I could have asked if Awesome hadn't come out there and gave me a pep talk... that I missed most of from breathing into the paper bag." He paused again. "Remember when you told me about Jake?"

Sarah started laughing again. "How could I forget?" She laughed at the memory. "You passed out and it took me an hour to get you to come to."

"Yeah…" he sighed. It was once of the best days of his life, minus the part where he passed out. "I'll never forget Casey's face when I told him. I thought he was going to have a heart attack. All he had to say was, 'great, baby moron'." She laughed as he mimicked Casey's tone.

**I was just guessing at numbers and figures pulling the puzzles apart **

**Questions of science, science and progress do not speak as loud as my heart**

Walking down memory lane reminded Chuck of how late it was.

"We'd better go," he said. "Casey's probably ready to kill someone. There's no telling how many times Jake made him watch _101 Dalmatians_."

Sarah chuckled, as her husband helped her up. "You're right." She placed her hand in his and they walked to the vehicles that were parked beside each other.

Chuck opened the door for his wife. They stood in the gap between the door and the rest of the vehicle as he gave her a tender kiss. Their foreheads rested against each other.

"Sarah," he whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Come back." His voice nearly begged her, as he barely managed to spit the words out.

Sarah was rarely intimidated by a mission, no matter how dangerous, but the day she found out she was pregnant with Jake, everything changed. This was one of the few times that she was terrified of the mission. It was only supposed to last two weeks; two weeks that could turn into an eternity apart.

"I'll do my best," she nearly whispered back. They lingered for a moment before she got in her car. She looked to her watch. It was nearly midnight. She wished they could just go back down to the beach and stay there for a few more hours. Their problems seemed to melt away when they were there.

**Oh, tell me you love me. Come back and haunt me. Oh and I rush to the start. Running in circles Chasing our tails Coming back as we are**

Chuck pulled in the driveway just as Sarah was exiting her vehicle. She waited for him to step out of his own. They entered the house together to find Casey sitting on the couch.

"'Bout time," he grumbled as he stood up. "Jacob went to bed about thirty minutes ago."

Sarah turned to Chuck and said, "I'm going to go check on him," before disappearing down the hall.

"Thanks for staying with him, Casey," Chuck said. "How was he?"

"Better than you," he retorted. "You two better kiss his ass tomorrow 'cause after tonight, he deserves it."

Before Chuck could say anything in response, Casey was out the door and halfway to the gate in the backyard.

*********

Sarah quietly entered her son's room. His nightlight was on in the corner, as usual. He was sound asleep under the blanket, holding the stuffed Marvin Martian toy that her father had gotten him the last time they saw him. Jake whimpered in his sleep.

She sat on the edge of the bed, just in time for him to jerk himself awake. He looked around the room for a moment, obviously terrified of something.

"Jake? Are you okay?"

"Mommy?" He asked, half surprised to see her.

"I'm here, baby." She kissed her little boy's head.

"I had a bad dream."

"What was it?"

"Cruella DeVille took me away," he said shakily. "And she was mean and put me in a room with dinosaurs and they tried to eat me and then Casey came and shot all the dinosaurs with his big gun and then he let me out of the room and he showed Cruella his Glock and told her to leave me alone, but she said 'no' and then she made more dinosaurs chase us and the t-rex got Casey." He looked up with unshed tears in his terrified eyes. "Is Casey still here?"

Sarah shook her head. "He went home a few minutes ago."

"Can I call him?"

"No, Sweetie, I think he's sleeping. You can call him tomorrow though," she said.

Chuck watched as his wife consoled their son. It still amazed him every time he saw them. She went from Sarah Walker: Super Spy to Sarah Bartowski: Super Mom. He found it fascinating to watch Jake, with his head on Sarah's shoulder, and Sarah rubbing her son's hair as she told him stories or read to him or, as in this case, listened to him tell her about a nightmare.

"Mommy?" Jake asked after awhile.

"Yeah?"

"Can I get a puppy?" He could see her grin.

"Well, maybe we'd better wait and ask Daddy that question." He smiled. It amused him when she gave him the wheel, even if it was only because she didn't want to be the one to say 'no'.

"Do you think he'll say 'yes'?" Jake asked, messing with the stuffed Looney Tunes character.

"I don't know. We'll have to wait and see."

"I hope he says 'yes'. I want to get a Dalmatian."

Chuck grinned even wider before making his way into the room.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" he asked. Sarah turned her head to see him as Jake sat up.

"I had a bad dream," he frowned. Chuck stretched out on the other side of the bed.

"Really?" Jake nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head. "No, I already told Mom and she said I could call Casey tomorrow."

"Oh, okay. Well, if it's all better..." he said, "I guess, there's no reason for Rocky Road." Sarah tried to fight a grin.

"There's always a reason for Rocky Road!" Jake perked up, causing his parents to laugh. "Daddy?"

"Yeah, Buddy?"

"Can I get a puppy? Mommy said to ask you."

"I'll tell you what," he said. "How about we decide when Mommy gets back from her trip?"

Chuck and Sarah held eye contact. She heard his silent plea loud and clear. She only wished she could guarantee compliance.

*****

"Well, he's asleep again…finally," Chuck said, climbing into bed.

"You shouldn't have given him sugar," Sarah chuckled. She set the mission folder on the nightstand, and propped her head up on her elbow, facing him as he stared at the ceiling. "Where's your head?"

"Well, I was trying to remember what Ellie wanted me to bring tomorrow," he said. Smiling, he rolled over in time to see her roll her eyes. "What?" He laughed.

"I was being serious." She couldn't force the smile on her face to go away.

"So was I," he said, still laughing.

**Nobody said it was easy Oh, it's such a shame for us to part Nobody said it was easy No one ever said I would be so hard I'm going back to the start**

Chuck's heart slowed down to a miserable pound as they pulled into a parking space at the Los Angeles International Airport. He lingered a moment, before stepping out of the vehicle.

His fingers were laced with Sarah's in one hand and he pulled her suitcase with the other. Jake walked just in front of them, holding his baseball cap in his hands as he took in the sights around them.

"I'll be right back," she said, as they entered the building. She drug her suitcase to the ticket counter. Chuck followed Jake to a wall of airplane posters. Jake observed them carefully as Chuck got lost in his thoughts.

"Hey, Momma," Jake said, causing his father to turn around as she approached. "Isn't this awesome?" he said, pointing to one of the planes on the wall.

"Yes, it is," she said, smiling. She looked to Chuck.

"You all set?" he settled on as he wasn't sure what to say.

"Yeah."

"You didn't forget anything? Toothbrush? Stones t-shirt?" Sarah grinned as he tried to lighten the situation.

Chuck pulled his wife into a tight embrace, dreading the moment he had to let go.

"I love you," he whispered shakily into her ear.

"I love you, too," she whispered back in the same manner. They pulled apart when Sarah's flight was announced as 'now boarding'. She pulled him into a kiss. "I'll, uh, call if I can. The company set me up with a secure phone." Chuck's lips twitched into a sad grin. She crouched down by her son, who hurried into the hug.

"Bye, Momma. Have fun in Washington."

"I'll try. I might miss you too much."

"I wish you could come to my first game, though."

"I know, Sweetie, I do, too." She kissed her son on the forehead. "Take care of your father for me and be good."

"I will," he said, putting his cap back on his head.

She stood up, facing Chuck. He pulled her into one last kiss before allowing her to go board her flight.

He watched as she walked through the terminal to her gate and out of sight.

"Come on, Buddy," he said, ruefully as he picked up his son.

"Can we go get some ice cream?" Jake asked hopefully. Chuck smiled at his enthusiasm.

"Why not?"

"Awesome!" he said. He had definitely spent too much time with Devon and the kids.

Chuck opened the car door, making room for Jake to crawl in.

"Hey, there's Momma's plane!" Jake said, pointing to the plane flying overhead.

"Yeah, it is."

"Do you think she can see us?"

"I don't know. You'll have to ask her when she calls."

*****

Sarah stepped out of the briefing, preparing to board another flight to her assignment. She pulled out her phone to reveal a missed message. After downloading the packet data, a picture of Chuck and Jake filled the screen with a caption saying "We miss you!"

She smiled. The mission became more real as she looked at the image. This was going to be tough.

"Agent Walker?" Looking up, she saw another agent. "This way, Ma'am." She put her phone back in her purse, and followed the agent to the plane.

* * *

_A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this. It probably wasn't what you were expecting for the Alexithymia story line, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. This one isn't beta-ed or edited, either. So, I apologize for any type-os or anything like that. Please leave a review and let me know what you think!  
_


	3. Mood Rings

_A/N: Hey guys. So, this one was kind of difficult to write. I listen to each of the songs repeatedly when I write them and I got one particular scene in my head and basically tried to write a story around it. Word of advice: don't do it that way. It's hard! lol. Anyway, I did my best to keep all the characters in character for this one, but it was really, really hard, so if they get out of character somewhere, I apologize and it was unintended. I try to write all the characters in character (or as close as possible) always. So...yeah. Anyhoo. This is SUPPOSED to be funny, so if it isn't, then I guess my sense of humor sucks. lol. :) I hope you guys enjoy this. _

_

* * *

  
_

**Mood Rings**

**We all know the girls that I am talking about Well, they are **

**Time bombs and they are ticking and the only question is when they'll blow up**

"Babe, it's not that big of a deal!" Chuck heard his brother-in-law say from just outside the door. He took deep breath before entering the apartment.

"Not that big of a deal?" Ellie demanded in shock.

"Hey, guys!" Chuck said, "What's going on?" The two of them shut up immediately, obviously hiding something. "Guys?"

"It's nothing, Chuck," Awesome said, as Ellie let out a frustrated sigh. Throwing her hands in the air, she left the room.

"Yeah, it's nothing," Chuck said sarcastically. "Is she okay? I mean, she's been really…" he paused looking for the right word. "Stressed," he said, not wanting to say words like 'moody' or 'emotional'.

"Look, Bro, it's just that…" Devon really didn't want to say whatever he needed to say. Chuck's eyes narrowed. "I think you need to talk to Sarah."

"I was just with her," he said, pointing over his shoulder to the door. "What's going on?"

Awesome swallowed hard. "Ellie and I think that Sarah might be, you know…pregnant. She's been displaying all the symptoms. I mean, how many times did she get up from the movie last week. She hasn't any wine with us dinner the last few times she's been over."

"Yeah, but--."

"We can't be certain without a test, but I'd say Ellie's probably right. You're gonna be a father, bro!" Awesome smiled. "My professional opinion: Sarah's pregnant."

Chuck's eyebrows shot up. Suddenly, he remembered what happened a few weeks ago. It happened once. The room started spinning and he could faintly hear Awesome's voice slurring words at him.

"Are you okay, Bro? You don't look so well," Awesome said. "Chuck?! Oh, man. Hey, Babe!"

**And they'll blow up we know that without a doubt because they're those girls, yeah you know those that let their emotions get the best of them. Go! **

Sarah watched Chuck confusedly. Something was going on with him and it was enough to drive her crazy. Short sentences, shaky voice…something was definitely up.

"Chuck, are you sure you're okay?" She asked again.

"I'm fine," he said hastily. There was a small squeak in his voice when he answered. Casey grunted in amusement. There was the rare occasion that bugging Chuck's house could get interesting. This was definitely one of those times.

"Good morning, boys and girl," General Beckman said, popping up on the screen.

"General," Casey greeted.

"Chuck's flash was good. Abraham Matthews has been on the FBI watch list for some time now. Illegal street racing along with several accounts of drug scandals."

"The guy's got a rap sheet a mile long," Casey said.

"I'm sorry, but what does he have to do with us?" Chuck asked.

"Mr. Matthews is a mercenary. He sells illegal information to the highest bidder. We know he's received plans that he will pass on to his contact at Friday's race." She paused. "Unfortunately, we don't know what information he has."

"The winner gets the plans?" Sarah asked.

"That is correct, Agent Walker. Matthews will lose on purpose. The prize money goes to him as payment. Your mission will be to enter the race and intercept the plans before anyone else can get them. Agent Walker, _you_ will race them."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, General?" Chuck blurted nervously. "I mean, Sarah hasn't been feeling well and…"

The general looked to Sarah.

"I'm fine, Ma'am." She shot a confused look to Chuck.

"What do you want me and Bartowski to do?" Casey asked, getting back to the point.

"Colonel Casey, you'll go in as Agent Walker's mechanic. Take the Intersect with you. See if he flashes on any of the other racers." The screen went black and Sarah immediately turned to Chuck as Casey slipped out.

"Chuck, what was that?"

"What?"

"I'm not sick." Chuck swallowed hard.

"I know. I, um, just--. I need to get to work." With that, he followed Casey out quickly.

Something was definitely up with Chuck.

*****

"Morgan!" Anna yelled. She stomped off as Chuck entered the Buy More.

"Hey Dude," Morgan said ruefully.

"Hey buddy, what's going on?"

"Anna and I had another fight."

"I'm sorry, Buddy. At least she didn't dump you this time," he offered.

"Yeah. Dude, do you ever wonder if you actually know your girl or not? I mean, one minute, she's perfectly fine and the next minute she's freaking out."

"She's probably just stressed. I'm sure everything will be fine."

"You're probably right," Morgan shrugged. "So, Xbox tonight? A little COD? Just us?"

"I'm sorry, Buddy, I can't. I have a date with Sarah tonight."

"Oh, right, of course. You and Sarah."

"How about tomorrow?" Chuck said, after a wince.

"Really? Oh, that'd be great, Man. A little Xbox is just what I need," Morgan said as he nearly skipped off to electronics.

*****

Chuck took a bite of his food, watching Sarah as she took a sip of her water. Ellie and Awesome had wine, which Chuck decided to pass on since Sarah did.

"So," Ellie asked. "Sarah, Chuck said you haven't been feeling well lately. Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah. Everything's fine. I just had a bug a couple of days ago, but I'm okay now," she smiled. Ellie and Awesome smiled back.

Chuck's cell phone went off, saving him from the look Sarah shot his way when Ellie and Awesome looked at each other.

"Hello?" He asked. "Whoa, Morgan, slow down!"

Pause.

"Really?"

Pause.

"Well, I'm sorry, buddy. Did you try--?"

Morgan had obviously cut him off.

"Okay, that's great! Morgan, I can't really talk right now."

Pause.

"That's exactly it."

Pause.

"Okay, you too, Buddy." He put his phone in his pocket. "I'm sorry about that. Anna's been acting crazy and Morgan's freaking out."

"Crazy?" Sarah asked. "How so?"

"Bipolar? Only, she's not bipolar. His words; not mine."

"Not awesome," Devon offered.

**And I've contrived some sort of a plan to help my fellow man **

**Let's get emotional girls to all wear mood rings**

**So, we'll be tipped off to when their ticked off. Cause we'll know just what they're thinking**

**Just what they're thinking**

Dinner had gone by slowly and it turned into Sarah staying over. While she was in the shower, Chuck decided to play a little Xbox.

"Hey dude! I've got it!" Morgan said, entering through the Morgan Door.

"Got what and how did you know that Sarah wasn't in here with me?" Chuck asked.

"Well, I don't see her and the Door was open," he said pointing to the window with his thumb. "Anyway, it doesn't matter! I've come up with the ultimate solution!"

"Solution to what?"

"Our woman troubles, Man!" Morgan said excitedly.

"Woman troubles?"

"It's like this: Let's say, Sarah is all mad at you and you don't know what you did. But when you go to talk to her, you don't know she's mad until she bites your head off and then your evening's all ruined."

"Okay?"

"You'd want to know before hand, right? So, you could avoid her."

"Actually, I'd just ask, but okay." Morgan pulled something out his pockets.

"Mood rings!"

"What?" Chuck asked in a high pitched form of disbelief.

"Just think about it. We'd _always _know what they're thinking!"

"Morgan, I don't…"

"It's the ultimate solution, Chuck. I'm not just talking about for us, I mean for all men everywhere!"

Sarah chose that precise moment to enter the room.

"Morgan?" She asked.

"Hi, Sarah; Bye, Chuck," he said, exiting the way he came.

"Sorry about that," Chuck said, turning off his game.

"Sorry about what?"

"You didn't hear what he…" The less than amused look on her face spoke for her. "You know what, it doesn't even matter." He grabbed his pajamas and headed to the shower.

**She's so pretty but she doesn't always act that way her moods are swinging on a swing-set almost everyday. She said to me that she's so happy it's depressing and all I said was someone get that girl a mood ring. **

"So," Chuck asked. "Do you think you're going to win?" He asked, taking a bite of his frozen yogurt.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I think he's saying 'girls don't race'," Casey shot. "That sounds a little sexist to me, Bartowski."

"N-no. T-that's not what I was saying. At all," he stuttered nervously. Casey grunted and went back to the Buy More.

"Chuck, what is going on with you?" Sarah asked. "You've been acting weird."

"Weird? I'm not acting weird. You know, actually, _you're_ acting weird. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Excuse me?" She said, making it abundantly clear that she was not in the mood.

"Oh, would you look at that," Chuck said, glancing at his watch. "My break's over. Bye." He hurried out the door and back to the Buy More.

"Chuck!" Sarah said, following him to the Nerd Herd desk. "_What_ is going on with you?"

"Nothing," he said, like a little kid claiming he wasn't in the cookie jar. Her gaze could have pierced through his soul.

"Chuck, something's going on with you and it's starting to affect the mission," she whispered.

"How so?"

"You told Beckman I was sick," she bit back. "You've been avoiding me, and you're actually not providing Casey any opportunities for sarcastic remarks."

"Yeah," Casey said from behind. "It's starting to hurt my feelings." Chuck rolled his eyes. He smirked as he walked off with another clipboard.

"It's just, I have a lot on my mind."

"Do you want to talk about it? You know, you can talk to me," she offered, calming down.

"Are you sure there's nothing _you_ want to tell _me_?" He asked.

"Chuck!" Sarah said. She spun on her heel and left the store, mostly for his benefit. _She_ was ready to hit him.

"Dude, two words," Morgan said, walking up to his buddy. "Mood. Ring."

"What? No!"

"It'll solve all of your problems. I've got one I'm giving to Anna tonight. Even, Awesome might be interested. You'll thank me later, Dude."

**If it's drama you want then look no further. There like the real world meets Boy Meets World meets Days of Our Lives. And it just kills me how they get away with murder. They'll anger you then bat their eyes. Those pretty eyes that watch you sympathize.**

"Hey, Bro," Awesome said, as Chuck entered the house.

"Where's Ellie?" Chuck asked, looking around for his sister.

"She had an emergency shift tonight, so it's just us tonight. I was thinking maybe order a pizza?"

"Sure. Morgan's coming over, too. I kind of told him I'd play Xbox with him tonight. You're welcome to join us, you know."

"I might play for a little bit," Awesome grinned. Chuck smiled. It was a rare occasion if Devon played video games with him. "So, has Sarah talked to you at all about the?" Instead of saying the word, he rocked an invisible baby in his arms.

"No, she hasn't," Chuck said. "You know, it could just be a false alarm."

"I don't know. How often is Ellie wrong?" Awesome asked. He had a point. Ellie was a blood hound for diamonds and babies. "Ellie is acting crazy over this."

**And I've contrived some sort of a plan to help my fellow man. Let's get emotional girls to all wear mood rings. So we'll be tipped off to when they're ticked off cause we'll know just what they're thinking. Just what they're thinking…**

"Ellie's acting crazy?" Morgan asked, entering from the hall. "I've got just the solution for ya: mood ring."

"Mood ring?" Awesome asked in disbelief. He glanced at Chuck, who simply shrugged.

"Yeah, it's this new thing I'm trying on Anna. I'm telling you, Awesome, it works, too. We haven't had a single fight since yesterday, when I gave it to her." He handed one to Awesome. "Trust me. These babies don't lie!"

**She's so pretty but she doesn't always act that way her moods are swinging on a swing-set almost every day. She said to me that she's so stressed out that it's soothing and all I said was someone get that girl a mood ring. **

"Casey?" Chuck asked as they got into Casey's car to head to work the next morning.

"What?"

"Has Sarah been acting…off…to you?" He asked. Casey grunted. "What?"

"If you want to play _Ring Around the Rosy_, keep me out of it."

Chuck nearly choked on his coffee. "What?" Casey smirked.

Quite frankly, Casey was sick of hearing from both parties how different the other one was acting. He had a job to do and he was doing it. This mission was their top priority.

However, he had also heard Ellie and Devon's suspicions. Messing with these idiots was going to be a piece of the proverbial cake.

"Sort out your lady feelings, Moron. If you think Walker's hiding something, ask her yourself…or is she being a little too moody for ya? Maybe, you should wear one of those mood rings, too. Then, you'll both be able to avoid each other until the timer goes off and the bun's out of the oven."

Chuck nearly had a heart attack at Casey's comment.

"Oh, she hasn't told you?" he continued. "Why do you think Beckman took her off the mission?" This was going to be too easy. "She was compromised."

"I didn't know that she…are you serious?"

"Of course, I'm serious. Walker's not driving," Casey said. He smirked as he finished. "You are."

"Me? I can't race a car on Xbox, let alone race one in real life!"

"I guess you'd better learn before tomorrow night." He said, pulling into the parking lot. "I'd leave Sarah alone. She's still pretty pissed."

*****

Sarah entered the Buy More with a cup of frozen yogurt, making her way directly to the Nerd Herd desk. Chuck was staring at something, but from the door, she couldn't tell what it was.

He looked up and smiled nervously, slipping something underneath an order form. He caught sight of the colored ring she was wearing. Morgan. Morgan Grimes was a dead man.

"Hey," he said. She handed him the frozen yogurt with a smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. What was that?"

"Oh, it was uh, just, something that Morgan gave me."

"What is it?" she asked again.

"I can't really tell you," he said. She shot him a questioning look. "I promised I wouldn't say anything to anyone." He silently congratulated himself on dodging that bullet.

"Okay." She didn't buy it, but she dropped the subject anyway. "Are you ready for the mission?"

Chuck choked on his yogurt. They really needed to stop dropping things on him when he wasn't expecting it.

"Are you okay?" She asked as he continued to cough. He nodded.

"That's been happening a lot lately," he said, continuing to cough a little.

"Are you _sure_ you're okay? Maybe, Ellie or Awesome should check you out."

"I'm fine. What about you? How are you feeling?"

"Chuck, what is this?"

"You can tell me the truth, Sarah."

"Well, _truthfully_, I'm confused."

*****

Casey watched Chuck and Sarah from Electronics. This was too funny. He really cracked himself up sometimes.

"Hey John," Morgan said. Casey slowly turned, facing the little, bearded twerp. Morgan looked passed him. "Chuck and Sarah fighting again?"

"Tragic," Lester said from beside him.

"She's too good for him anyway," Jeff threw in.

"What do you morons want?" Casey growled.

"We're wanting to see how well the ring works," Jeff blurted out.

"Yeah, Morgan, it doesn't appear to be working," Lester said.

"Sure it is!" he said. "Did you see Chuck glance at it?!"

"What are you idiots talking about?"

"A mood ring, my giant, unenthusiastic friend," Lester said. "The ultimate weapon against feminine emotions."

Casey grunted and walked off.

"Ooh," Morgan winced when Sarah walked off. "I'll bet it's bright yellow."

**Cause when it's black it means watch your back because you're probably the last person in the world right now she wants to see and when it's blue it means that you should call her up immediately and as her out because she'll most likely agree and when it's green it simply means that she is really stressed and when it's clear it means she's completely emotionless and that's alright I must confess**

Chuck sighed as he pulled the little piece of paper back out. There was no way Morgan could be right.

"Yellow," he said, looking up the last color. "Angry or confused." That seemed fairly accurate.

**We all know the girls that I am talking about she liked you Wednesday but now it's Friday and she has to wash her hair. **

The next day, Chuck and Sarah still weren't speaking. Normally, the silence would have been welcomed, but with the mission in six hours, Casey actually labeled it as 'annoying'.

"Bartowski!" He said, causing Chuck to snap out of his daze. "Castle. Now."

Chuck groaned as he got up. This briefing was going to be a long one.

Casey stepped behind Chuck, allowing him to step into Castle's entry first. As soon as Chuck was clear, Casey slammed the door shut, locking them beneath the yogurt complex.

"Casey?!" Chuck yelled, pounding on the door.

"See you later." Casey grunted a grunt of satisfaction as he headed to the register to watch.

**And it just figures that we'll never figure them out. First she's Jekyll and then she's Hyde. At least she makes a lovely pair**

Chuck swallowed hard and slowly turned around to face an obviously furious Sarah. He smiled weakly.

"Nice, uh, ring."

She pulled out her cell phone. "Casey," she barked. "What's going on." Her jaw dropped as she pulled the phone away from her ear. Chuck shot her the same questioning look. How dare he hang up on her!

"Well, we're not getting out of here anytime soon, are we?" Chuck sighed. She shook her head. "So…do we have any cards?" Sarah sat down at her laptop, ignoring his last comment.

*****

An hour went by before Sarah finally spoke up. "Chuck, what's going on with you? You're acting weird."

"Sarah, I'm sorry you got pulled from the mission tonight," Chuck said at the same time.

She shot him a confused look. "I wasn't pulled from the mission."

"But Casey said…" he stopped himself. Casey lied. "Right."

"That's what that was all about? Chuck, you should have something."

"I know. I just…that's not it…"

"Chuck?"

"Sarah, are you pregnant?"

*****

Casey could have sworn that frozen yogurt came out of his nose when Chuck asked her that question.

This was too good.

*****

"What?" She asked, completely taken off guard. "Why would you think that?"

"I can think of a couple of reasons," Chuck said awkwardly. "Before you hit me…or shoot me…I wasn't thinking anything of it. Ellie and Awesome seemed convinced that you are and Casey said something else about buns and ovens and…"

"No, Chuck. I'm not."

"Oh."

"_Oh_?"

"It's nothing. I just…" he watched the ring change colors. It was becoming red. He instinctively pulled the little slip of paper out of his pocket. Red: Mixed emotions. Oh yeah, that was a lot of help.

Sarah jerked the piece of paper out of his hand. She looked up in disbelief.

"Morgan," was the only explanation he could give. "He had this theory and then he gave me that piece of paper, but I thought he was trying to persuade me, until I saw the mood ring at the Buy More." He caught her annoyed look and begged, "Please, don't kill him! He's my best friend!"

"I'm not going to kill him," She said, trying to refrain from laughing at how pathetic Chuck looked. "I may give him some very strong words, but I won't kill him."

"Wait, you're not angry?" He asked, suspiciously.

"Irritated, yes, but not angry. It's actually kind of funny," she laughed. "Why?" He awkwardly pointed to the red ring. Sarah looked at the paper. "Well, I promise you," she said, handing him the ring. "This thing isn't accurate."

**Mood ring, oh mood ring oh tell me will you bring the key to unlock this mystery of girls and their emotions play it back in slow motion so that I may understand the complex infrastructure known as the female mind.**

"Hey Chuck," Morgan said. "So, can I stay at your place tonight? Anna won't even let me sleep on the couch." He let out a disappointed sigh. "Who knew that the mood rings would be wrong?"

"Sure, buddy," Chuck said, before hanging up the phone.

* * *

_So, what did you guys think? I hope you liked it. That scene I was telling you about before...the ending scene with Morgan lol. Anyway, please drop me a review and let me know what you thought. :D _


	4. Beautiful Lie

_A/N: Before I go on with this story, I need to say something about the last story/chapter/song. The street racing things was actually my friend's idea. He gave me permission to use it (as I couldn't think of anything). He's using a storyline like that in his Chuck-fic that he's working on. Trust me, when i say he was telling me his whole plan for the story and it's going to be awesome when it really gets going. He has the first chapter out already. It's called "Chuck vs. The Newbie" by worldsworstromeo. Anyway, I just wanted to put that out there because it wasn't my original idea. Sorry. I forgot to put that at the end of Mood Rings. Also, I'm going to post the track list that I'm writing to along with the artist, at the very end of Bandwagon, in case anyone is interested in actually listening to the songs. _

_

* * *

  
_

**Beautiful Lie**

**In a corner of the closet, there's a suitcase packed with clothes, And the postcard from your parents with the words "please come back home",  
**

Ellie Bartowski entered Chuck and Sarah's room of the apartment. They'd been apartment hunting for a couple of weeks now and still found nothing. A few of Sarah's things were in a medium sized box sitting in the corner of Chuck's closet.

She set the piece of mail with Chuck's name on the nightstand when something in caught her eye. Underneath Sarah's side of the bed, something was sticking out. Curiously, Ellie picked it up. It was a postcard with the Lincoln Memorial on the front. She could only guess that it was from Washington. Instinctively, Ellie turned it over.

"Hey Sis," Chuck said, entering his room. She jumped and turned around.

"Chuck!"

"What's that?" He asked, pointing to the postcard. She handed it to him.

"I found it on the floor," she said. "Did you know about this?" The look on his face was a clear 'no'.

"It's from her parents?" He said. He knew what that meant: reassignment. The only thing he couldn't figure out was why no one had mentioned it to him. The postcard was, clearly, a cover.

"I'm sorry, Chuck," Ellie said, hugging her little brother. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know why she'd hide this from me." He was evidently hurt.

"Maybe she won't leave," Ellie offered. As a woman, she knew it was a long shot, but she hoped Chuck was ignorant enough that he'd believe her.

"Yeah," he sighed ruefully.

**I've been waiting for the moment that all this shit explodes, And I can't believe that you think I don't know.**

It had been two days since Ellie had found the postcard in their room and Sarah still hadn't said anything to him about it.

Chuck felt as though he'd been walking on eggshells around her, continually expecting her to drop the bomb. She never did.

"Chuck?" she asked, entering their room after her shower.

"Yeah?" he asked, as she quietly closed the door. This was it and he knew it. She sat on the bed next to him.

"Are you okay?" She asked, genuinely concerned. "You seem…I don't know."

He cleared his throat nervously. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" She asked. "You know you can tell me." He nodded.

"I'm just tired," he lied. The truth was that he was wide awake.

"Okay," she sighed, leaving it alone. "Night." She shut the lamp off.

**How you gonna say you're never gonna leave me lonely? How you gonna say you're never gonna walk away? Knowing that you'd break me if you ever say goodbye, So you keep on telling me that everything will be alright, And it's a beautiful lie.**

Chuck laid, wide awake, in the dark. His mind was so full of all the questions he should have been asking her. Why was she leaving? Was it something that he did? Why didn't she let him know?

She knew what it would do to him if she left now. It would tear him apart. He couldn't go through that.

*****

Sarah listened to Chuck's breathing. He wasn't asleep, but for some reason he wanted her to think he was. She couldn't figure out what was bothering him.

Usually, he'd just tell her and they'd figure out a way to deal with it. He always got through it, but this time was different. It _felt_ different.

**Well I can't help but to notice in the bedroom something's changed, There's a picture on the dresser that's gone missing from the frame,  
I could ask you but you'd answer in that same familiar way, there's nothing wrong, and everything's okay.**

Chuck and Ellie were alone tonight. Sarah and Casey were on a stakeout and Awesome was on call.

"Has Sarah mentioned the postcard?" Ellie asked. Chuck shook his head, sadly.

"I just don't understand why she wouldn't tell me this. I act like I don't know and she plays into it."

"Maybe, she'll stay. Sarah loves you," she said.

"How can you be sure?"

"The way she looks at you. She loves you, Chuck, trust me." If only Ellie knew what he knew. It was times like this when he desperately wished he could tell her the truth.

"Her family's in Washington, though. That's the other side of the country. I understand why she'd leave."

"Talk to her about it. You don't have to mention the postcard, but ask her where she's at. It might go a long way."

"Thanks, Sis," he said. "I think I'm going to get another beer. Do you want more wine?"

*****

Chuck entered his room. There was no telling when Sarah would get back and quite frankly, he didn't feel like waiting up. He set his watch on his nightstand only to find that the picture on it wasn't in the frame. He studied it curiously.

"Hey." He jumped at the familiar voice.

"Hi," he said. She shot him an amused look.

"Are you okay? You're pale."

"I'm always pale," he deflected, semi-jokingly. She smiled. He loved that smile. It made him smile, too. "You're home earlier than I expected."

"We thought it would be better for the cover if I came home earlier," she said. "What were you looking at?"

"Um, that picture frame on the nightstand. The picture's gone." He couldn't hide his worried expression. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," she said. "I took it out and brought it to the Orange Orange. I figured it'd be better, since I'm the only one working there that I have a picture of us on the counter with me." She smiled, but it wasn't the one he'd seen before. She was either lying, or she wasn't telling him everything. "Everything's okay."

"Oh. Well, we should probably put another one in there. If Ellie saw an empty frame, she'd grill us with questions."

"Yeah," she agreed hastily. "I'll take care of that tomorrow." He nodded.

**How you gonna say you're never gonna leave me lonely? How you gonna say you're never gonna walk away? Knowing that you'd break me if you ever say goodbye,  
So you keep on telling me that everything will be alright, And it's a beautiful lie.  
**

"Sarah?" he whispered into the darkened room.

"Yeah?" she whispered groggily. She'd been on the brink of sleep. Chuck felt bad for waking her up, but he had to know.

"You'd tell me if you had to leave, right?"

"What do you mean?" she asked. He felt her roll over and knew she facing him, even if he couldn't see her.

"I mean, if you got reassigned. You'd let me know, right? You wouldn't just leave?"

She was quiet for a second before saying, "of course, I'd tell you." She started rambling. "We'd have to come up with something to tell Awesome and Ellie, wouldn't we?"

"Promise?" He whispered. "Do you promise you'll tell me, even if it's just a possibility that you're leaving?"

He could hear her nervous breathing, but she told him "yes" nonetheless.

"Chuck, what is all of this about?" She asked, forcing herself to keep her voice quiet so Ellie wouldn't hear them. It was his turn to be awkwardly silent. "Chuck?"

He sighed before answering. "Ellie found a postcard on the floor in here. She said that it was sort of under the bed. It looked like a cover letter."

"Cover letter?"

"It said, 'Sarah, we miss you. Please come home. Love, Mom and Dad'." There was an awkward moment of silence. "It had your L.A. address on it, too."

"I thought I threw that away," she whispered. "When Agent Forrester was here and I got reassigned, I planned on leaving that for you to find so that it would seem like there was a reason that I left, but I thought I took it with…" she trailed off, remembering why she'd left it.

She'd left a letter for Chuck on his pillow and that was going to be on the floor for them to find. It was strategically placed, but when she noticed that Chuck's phone was missing him, she'd kicked the postcard under the bed and left to find him.

She'd completely forgotten to come back for it.

"Sarah?"

"Uh," she said, snapping back to reality. "Chuck, I thought I grabbed that awhile back. I didn't know it was still here. Honestly, I completely forgot about it."

"So, you're not going?" his voice was hopeful.

"No, I'm not." She heard him breathe a breath of relief. "Is that what's been bothering you?"

"Yeah," he sighed.

"Chuck, you should have said something sooner. I wouldn't have lied to you."

"I know," he said. "I just…I don't know. I guess I was scared that you were actually going to leave and I didn't want to cause a fight."

**  
You surrender on your naked skin, falling back into the rhythm, I could never forget you. Feeling so electric on my fingertips, hurts so good,  
can't go on like this.**

Chuck woke up before the alarm the next morning. He found that he'd managed to get his arm around her in his sleep, and she was surprisingly lying against his chest.

Her scent filled his nostrils. It was intoxicating. He looked down when felt her fingers entwining with his own. Her breathing was still even, so he knew she was still asleep, but it was enough for him to know that she felt the same as he did.

**  
Here comes another sunrise, like a broken promise in the skies It's about to be a different day but you keep on living that same old lie.**

They stayed in the same position for the next hour. Chuck was wide awake, but he didn't dare to move. This felt right and it was probably going to be the only chance he got for something this real and surreal at the same time without someone ruining the moment.

He noticed the room had grown lighter. Lifting his head slowly, he saw that the alarm would be going off in three minutes. He had three minutes to figure out a way to move without waking Sarah up. Unfortunately, he spent those three minutes debating how he'd do so and the alarm went off.

*****

Sarah slowly opened her eyes. She was surprised that she'd woken before the alarm. She moved her eyes to see that she had three minutes. Suddenly, she noticed that she was extra warm.

The arm around her felt heavy against her waist. Glancing down she noticed that their fingers were also laced together. She knew if she moved that Chuck would wake up. Not knowing what else to do, she laid there for the next three minutes, trying to figure out a way to make it less awkward when the alarm actually did go off.

When her three minutes were up, Sarah reached over, taking her hand out of Chuck's, and shut off the alarm.

She turned to face him. He was staring at her. They laid in silence, staring at one another for a minute or so, neither of them wanting to be the one to ruin the moment.

They now had to go about their day pretending that never happened. It may have been good for the cover, but this wasn't a cover. What would happen if it happened again tonight or tomorrow?

"Morning," she whispered.

**  
How you gonna say you're never gonna leave me lonely? How you gonna say you're never gonna walk away? Knowing that you'd break me if you ever say goodbye,  
So you keep on telling me that everything will be alright, And it's a beautiful lie.**

* * *

_A/N: Hey guys! I hope you liked this installment as well. I think I found all the type-os lol. I actually wrote this one during the day, so I wasn't half asleep when writing it, like the other three chapters. lol. Okay, in the bridge of the song, I know a sex scene probably would have gone better with the song, but I didn't feel that one was necessary or in character for them. Thus, I wrote it differently. :) _

_Just in case there is any confusion, "ignorant" is when you don't know something. "Stupid" is when you know it and you do (or in some cases, don't do) something anyway. I don't mean to insult anyone's intelligence by throwing that in there, but I know that a lot of people associate the two words as meaning the same thing. I just wanted to clarify that so no one thought Ellie was calling Chuck stupid lol. :) Again, I don't mean to insult or offend anyone by throwing that out there.  
_


	5. Forever And Almost Always

**Forever and Almost Always**

**So the story goes on down The less traveled road It's a variation on  
The one I was told And although it's not the same It's awful close, yeah  
**

The first day she walked into his life, Sarah was ready for a quick in and out mission. Bryce had to complicate that. Chuck had the Intersect in his head and she found herself being his handler. It was a low blow for a field agent, but a job was a job; a mission, a mission and Charles Irving Bartowski had become that mission.

Their meeting was a planned one. She went in with a hidden curriculum; he was her mark. It wasn't the typical boy meets girl scenario, but it became the beginning of their story nonetheless.

**In an ordinary fairy tale land There's a promise of a perfect happy end  
And I imagine having just short of that Is better than nothing**

It wasn't fair. They were made to walk the long and lonely road. Chuck, because of their cover and Sarah because she was a spy. Over the last two years, she'd fallen for her asset; something that was forbidden.

She knew he'd give her his heart. All she had to do was ask. Their cover wasn't the real thing, but it was close enough. They were still with together without being together. It was torture.

It was a cruel hand that fate had dealt them, but she was willing to settle for the not quite instead of the nothing at all. It had taken a long time to get there, but she'd found her way nonetheless.

**So you'll be mine Forever and almost always And I'll be fine Just love me when you can And I'll wait patiently I'll wake up everyday Just hoping that you still care**

He'd been able to break down all of her defenses; something that was not easily done. It was frightening. She knew she'd have to leave him as soon as they found Orion and he had this thing out of his head. When the Intersect left, so did she. It wasn't her choice, but it _was_ her job.

The sun peeked through her curtains. The alarm would be going off soon, then it was a briefing with General Beckman and then she spent the day giving people frozen yogurt, while waiting for those short breaks Chuck would come in and make her smile.

His smile melted her every time. It was something that couldn't be helped. She'd fallen hard for her asset, and it was only a matter of time until that because a problem.

**In the corner of my mind I know too well Oh, that surely even I deserve the best  
But instead of leaving I just put the issue to bed And outta my head**

Chuck shut his alarm off. Tonight, he and Sarah had a fake date with Ellie and Awesome. Sometimes, it was so hard to tell the difference between what was true or false anymore. The line was so blurred that he didn't know which was which.

He'd fallen completely in love with Sarah Walker and every single day was a new battle with those feelings. He never knew what she was going to say or do next. First, there was always the "it's unprofessional" excuse and then she would tell him things like how great he was and how he was fantastic. She'd say things that clearly said she had feelings for him, but then she'd go right back into Agent-mode and Sarah Walker was gone again.

It wasn't fair, but he couldn't do anything about it.

**Oh, and just when I believe You've changed for good Well, you go and prove me wrong Just like I knew you would When I run out of second chances You give me that look And you're off the hook  
**

Chuck let out a frustrated sigh. Every time. It happened every single time. First, it was almost like he got through to her. She'd start to come out of her shell and _be_ his girlfriend.

They'd have a moment and in the next they were all using him, including Sarah, to get the information they wanted. He hated Bryce in moments like that. Moments when he should be kicking back with the girl he loved, but instead he was getting another mission assignment, arguing about it, leaving, and turning around when she spoke to him.

Sarah Walker had become his kryptonite. All she had to do was smile or give him that look—the look he would never be able to refuse and found himself cooperating…again.

**Because you're mine Forever and almost always When I'm fine Just love me when you can And I'll wait patiently I'll wake up everyday Just hoping that you'll still care**

The ride back to the apartment was silent, except for the sound of the engine. He'd been so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice when they parked in front of the complex.

He watched her interacting with his family. His heart melted when he saw her smiling. These were the smiles that would start in her eyes; the real ones.

His mind wandered back to the problem at hand. He loved a girl who would never be his...not really.

**What am I still doing here**

He took a deep breath as he crawled into bed. He really didn't want to talk tonight. Sighing, he left the lamp on and rolled over.

**It's all becoming so clear ****You'll be mine Forever and almost always It ain't right To just love me when you can I won't wait patiently Or wake up everyday Just hoping that you'll still care**

Sarah stood in front of the mirror, brushing her teeth. Her wet hair was still clipped up. She found her mind wandering to Chuck.

He'd been quiet tonight. She knew what was bothering him. Things had been rough lately.

The problem was that she'd falled, hard, for her asset and she was scared. Naturally, she pulled away. Chuck wasn't like any of the other guys that she'd dated.

She knew he'd never do anything to hurt her, but she couldn't gaurantee the same for him. Her job made it _very_ difficult. However, she knew she had to tell him the truth. She knew that if she didn't tell him now, she might not ever.

**Forever and almost always No, it ain't right To just love me when you can, baby  
Ain't gonna wait patiently I won't wake up everyday Just hoping that you'll still care**

Chuck heard Sarah enter his room, but he didn't turn around. He didn't know how much longer he could take this. It was torture. A needle was ideal at this moment.

He felt her climb into bed. She must have assumed he was sleeping, because she turned the lamp off.

The silence was piercing. Unfortunately, neither one of them could do anything about it. Fate was cruel.

Chuck closed his eyes tightly and somehwere in the midst of his troubled thoughts, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_A/N: Okay, another hard one to do. *sigh* I think my iPod was ready for some kind of evil, iPod revenge when it shuffled these songs for me to write stories to. *glares at iPod* lol _

_ANYWAY! One more thing, going back to Mood Rings, because I got a couple of questions about it. The Mood Rings story itself was mine. The only thing that I "borrowed" from Charlie was the idea for the mission. The street racing part was his. Everything else belongs to me...except the show, the song, and the characters...which, by the way, my disclaimer for all of that is in my profile. :) _

_The next chapter will be up either later today or tomorrow. *does victory dance* I got two written in one night! :) Thanks again for all of the reviews you guys have continued to put in! I really, really appreciate them!!!!!!!!! _


	6. The Mixed Tape

**The Mixed Tape**

**This is morning That's when I spend the most time Thinking 'bout what I've given up**

Chuck rolled out of bed. He could have easily stayed there and been just fine. It had been almost four and a half months since duty as the Intersect left his life, taking Sarah with it.

It was his own fault, really. Beckman had offered him a job as an analyst on the new Intersect project. If he'd known Sarah was also working on the project, he'd definitely taken it. Unfortunately, he didn't know and therefore declined.

Now, here he was...alone. Sure, he missed Casey, too. At least he was able to contact ihm. Sarah left no possible way for communication.

**This is a warning When you start the day just to close the curtains You're thinking 'bout what I've given up**

"Hey, Bro!" Awesome said, bringing his bike into the house.

"Hey, Awesome," Chuck sighed, ruefully, as he made his way to the coffee pot. He looked at his watch. It read 12:36.

Life felt so mediocre now. At least with the Intersect he could expect anything at any moment. Now, the days grew dull.

"You know what you need, Chuck?" Awesome asked, leaving no room for a response. "Action. Adventure. You need a thrill, Bro, and I've got just the thing: white water rafting."

"As _thrilling _as that sounds, really," he said, "I think I'll pass."

"Aw, come on, Bro! How long has it been since you've had any excitement in your life?"

"Four months, twelve days, and five hours," he said without thinking. He looked up to see Awesome's expression. "That was rhetorical," he caught on. "Right." He let out a sigh and made his way back to his room.

**Where are you now? As I'm swimming through the stereo I'm writing you a symphony of sound Where are you now?As I rearrange the songs again This mix could burn a hole in anyone But it was you I was thinking of**

Chuck sat at his computer. As he added another track to the infamous playlist, his heart sank. They all reminded him of Sarah. Each song seemed to hurt worse than the one before. At the same time, the pain let him know that he could still feel.

He browsed through the photos on his computer. None of them seemed to be the perfect album artwork for this mix.

*****

Devon and Ellie Woodcomb sat on the couch in their living room.

"Honey, I'm worried about Chuck," Ellie announced, shutting off the television. "It took him five years to get over Jill. _Five years. _He's already acting worse in a few months without Sarah than he was before."

"He loved her, Babe. They went through a lot together," Awesome said, without thinking.

"What do you mean?" Ellie asked, before he could cover what he'd just said.

"I mean," he paused, trying to find something non-spy related that would make sense. "Well, she got him to finish college and get his degree. He grew up. You know, that stuff."

"Yeah," she sighed. "I just wish there was something we could do."

"Me too, Babe. Me, too."

**I read your letter The one you left when you broke into my house Retracing every step you made**

Chuck held the piece of paper in his hands. He remembered the morning he'd found it on his nightstand. Ellie and Awesome had been on their Honeymoon. He'd planned on proposing that he and Sarah go to Mexico for a couple of days. Then, once again his world was turned upside down. He'd found the letter.

He remembered trying to piece the puzzle together that morning just like he'd been doing every day since. She had to have entered through the Morgan Door. There was no telling how long she'd actually been there. Maybe, it was only a second. Maybe, it was a few minutes. Either way, he remembered finding that one of his shirts was amiss.

**And you said you meant it And there's a piece of me in every single Second of every single day But if it's true then tell me how it got this way**

There was no telling how many times he'd read that letter. She said it wasn't his fault and not to blame himself; the job was the job. She went on to tell him what a great guy he was and blah, blah, blah. He'd heard it all before.

All he had left of her were the pictures that Ellie had somehow managed to snap when they weren't paying attention, the cover pictures given to them by the CIA during their tenure, and her letter.

**Where are you now? As I'm swimming through the stereo I'm writing you a symphony of sound Where are you now? As I rearrange the songs again This mix could burn a hole in anyone But it was you I was thinking of**

"Yo, Chuck!" He heard Morgan's voice say. "Chucky!!"

He made his way to the computer. "Hey Morgan," he said. "How are you, Buddy?"

"I'm good, Man. Miss ya guys, though," he said. He made an unusual face.

"What?"

"Your music is depressing, Dude."

"I know," Chuck sighed.

"Sarah Mix?" Chuck nodded in response. "You need to get out."

"I don't get it, Morgan," he said. He knew that he couldn't tell him anything about hte letter or how much the last two words haunted him: Love, Sarah.

"Dude, you need a vacation. You should come see me! Think about it, Bro. Video games twenty four seven. Like old times!"

"That's good idea," Ellie said from the door. "Not the games, but the vacation part." Chuck's head snapped to look at her. "Sorry, I wasn't eavesdropping. I was coming to tell you dinner's ready."

"Is that Ellie?" Morgan asked, hopefully.

"Hi, Morgan." She turned back to Chuck. "You do need a vacation, little brother."

"You know, you and the captain could come, too," Morgan added. Ellie shook her head, before leaving the room.

**And I can't get to you I can't get to you I can't get to you, you, you**

Chuck slipped into his bed. He missed the nights she'd stay with him. They may have only been for their cover, but they still meant something, especially toward the end with everything was coming out.

If only he could figure out a way to contact her. He'd give anything to see her again. Even a sixty second phone call to hear her voice would suffice.

**Where are you now? As I'm swimming through the stereo I conduct a symphony of sound  
Where are you now? As I'm cutting through you track by track I swear to God this mix could sink the sun  
But it was you I was thinking of**

Chuck quickly rolled out of bed and made his way back to the computer. He popped in a blank cd and began to prepare tracks to burn. He decided on the best twenty tracks that made him think of her.

When he cd had finished burning, he made a collage label. All of his favorite photos were on it.

**And where are you now?  
And where are you now?**

Chuck pulled out his cell phone and dialed it.

"Casey?" he paused. It was now or never. "I need your help." He knew Casey would be likely to change his number after this request, but the possibility of getting to her made everything worth it.

*****

Sarah Walker opened the small package, cautiously. John Casey had never sent her anything before. She was curious as to what it could be.

She pulled out an envelope and a cd. The cd had a collage of pictures of her and Chuck on the front and read "Sarah Mix". Curiously, she popped the cd into her laptop. She played the CD as she read his letter.

**And this is my mixed tape for her It's like I wrote every note With my own fingers**

* * *

_A/N: Well, there's not really much to say about this one. lol. It's pretty straight foreward. I don't know why, but I could just picture Chuck calling Casey for help and Casey threatening him. LOL. To be honest, when I first wrote this out, I didn't have Sarah opening the package, but after uploading it and editing, I couldn't just leave it alone. I'm really have zero angst in my life lol. I'm too chill. I have no idea why this couple seems to draw it out of me! haha. Anyway! I hope you liked it! _


	7. Keep Me A Secret

**Keep Me A Secret**

**I'm trying not to feel you but you just brushed by and if you dare to cross that line you know my toes will step on fire**

Chuck watched as Sarah entered the room. Man, did she look amazing. Of course, she would. They had a cover date with Ellie and Awesome at a nice restaurant. Not that she didn't look great all the time...

He felt his knees go weak as she filled the space between them. He couldn't stop himself from smiling.

**Oh-ooh sizzle when it's face on face and skin on skin. I'm trying to keep you out and I'm trying to keep me in**

As she approached Chuck, she couldn't stop herself from smiling back at his goofy grin. She gave him a quick cover kiss. She hated that part. It was torture for them both.

He made it difficult for her to keep up her defenses. It made it hard to turn him away.

"You look great," he said quietly, as she fixed his tie.

"Well, you don't look so bad, yourself," she replied.

**One hundred million eyes behind these walls watchin' ya, hearin' ya, knowin' ya**

The two couples sat around the table. Chuck watched Sarah take a sip of her wine as Awesome told another story, causing her to laugh. He smiled. He couldn't help himself.

**Keep me a secret keep me out your arms keep my kisses off your lipstick stop me swallowing your charm Keep yourself a secret lock up all your doors I'll keep you out of my dreams just you keep me out of yours.**

He hated it when moments felt so real. He was in love with her and he was almost positive that she felt the same. Of course, it was hard to be certain when he couldn't get past her walls. He tried everything he knew to get her to take them down. It worked sometimes, in moments like these. In moments when they could just be themselves.

Then, as soon as the moment was over, it was right back to cover mode, leaving him more confused than when it started.

**I need not to notice you but you unwrap my eye Don't let embraces linger try to keep my arms untied.**

Chuck and Sarah stood on the sidewalk wrapped in each other's arms as they waited for Awesome to return with the car.

"Sarah, are you staying over tonight?" Ellie asked.

"Oh, I don't know," she replied teasingly. Ellie grinned at Chuck.

"Maybe, we could stop and get a movie?" He suggested.

**See there you go again you're making me mad because I'm drawn to this danger oh, it's making me mad**

They sat cuddled comfortably on the couch as Ellie and Awesome did the same on the love seat.

Sarah had to force herself to stay awake. She hated the way their bodies seemed to mold together. It became extremely difficult to maintain cover. It was definitely frustrating.

**One hundred million reasons to ignore wanting to be with you **

There were so many reasons why being together was wrong. She could lose her job, for one. He could be ripped from his friends and family and placed in a secure bunker because _she _decided to hesitate.

If anyone found out, and the blood hound in Casey would, they would be in serious trouble and she'd get reassigned.

What would happen if they were on missions? She could put the entire team in jeopardy if something were to happen to him.

**One hundred million eyes behind these walls watchin' ya, hearin' ya, knowin' ya**

Ellie looked over to her brother. He'd already fallen asleep and Sarah was dozing on his chest. She couldn't help but notice that Sarah's facial expression showed a lot of contemplation. It made her wonder what was going on.

Devon had pointed out they seemed to be looking almost longingly lately. She noticed it at dinner when one of them would glance at the other when they thought the other wasn't looking.

"Should we wake them?" She whispered to Devon as he turned off the television.

"Nah, Babe, leave 'em." He began to make his way to the bedroom, but paused when he realized that she wasn't with him.

"I'll be there in a second," Ellie said, "I'm going to get them a blanket."

Ellie returned shortly with the promised blanket and draped it over them. She couldn't help but feel giddy at how cute they looked. She snapped a photo before going off to bed. Sarah would thank her later.

**Keep me a secret keep me out your arms keep my kisses off your lipstick stop me swallowing your charms keep yourself a secret lock up all your doors I'll keep you out of my dreams just you keep me out of yours.**

Chuck woke up a little confused. Sarah was lying on his chest in a very close proximity. He looked around the room and slowly it began to register in his brain what was going on.

He looked around the dark living room, trying to figure out a way to get them to his room without waking her up.

He looked down at her. She looked peaceful when she was asleep. It was a rare occasion that Sarah Walker was relaxed. He started to doze off again when he was awakened by her shifting. He looked down to see that she was also waking up. He check his watch. 2:20 am.

"Sarah?" He whispered.

"Chuck?" She whispered back, confusedly.

"we fell asleep," he replied informatively. "I guess Ellie and Awesome went to bed."

She looked around the darkened living room. "Yeah."

"So," he whispered, awkwardly, "We can stay here or we can go to my room." He caught her grin in the dim light resonating from the kitchen. "Okay, my room it is."

**All I'm asking is for nothing and if nothing is enough for you oh, leave it unsaid keep me inside your head under your breath**

When Chuck got to his room, Sarah was already sound asleep again. He crawled in bed beside her. He couldn't help but lie awake staring at the ceiling. After a few minutes, he rolled on his side to watch her, but her back was to him.

"You know," he whispered to her sleeping body. "I don't think it would be _so_ bad. It would be just like our cover, but real." He paused, letting out a deep breath. "Sometimes, I'm so confused that--. I just need to know."

**Keep me a secret keep me out your arms keep my kisses off your lipstick stop me swallowing your charms Keep yourself a secret lock up all your doors I'll keep you out of my dreams just you keep me out of yours. **

Sarah woke up as chuck let out a deep breath.

"Sometimes, I'm so confused that--." She waited for him to finish, but instead he went with, "I just need to know." He'd been awake for awhile. "Like that'll happen," she heard him sigh.

She rolled over to face him, taking him by surprise. Embarassment was clearly written all over his face.

"I know it's hard for you," she whispered, thanking God that Casey wasn't listening. She added, "It's hard for me, too." She didn't even realize she'd said it until she saw the look on his face. Silently, she cursed herself, but continued to try getting her point across. "_But_, it's unprofessional, Chuck. The consequences are serious."

"I know," he whispered, disappointedly.

"Do you know how hard that secret would be to keep?" His eyes widened. She _did_ feel something! "Very," she said, answering her own question.

Instead of saying anything, he simply nodded. She scooted closer, nestling into him. He shot her a look of confusion.

"For the cover," she whispered with a grin. Smiling widely, he wrapped his arms around her.

**Keep me a secret keep me out your arms Keep my kisses off your lipstick stop me swallowing your charms. Keep yourself a secret lock up all your doors. I'll keep you out of my dreams just you keep me out of yours. **

Chuck drifted off to sleep with Sarah in his arms. They couldn't have a real relationship and while he didn't quite understand it, he had to respect it. Right now, in this moment, it was enough for him to know that she had feelings for him too.

One day, he silently swore to himself, one day he get his normal life back and live it with the girl he loved.

In the meantime, he'd know that the cover moments between them would have a hint of truth to them.

For right now, that was okay.

* * *

_A/N: So....what'd ya think? lol. I would have had this chapter posted a couple of days ago, but it didn't feel quite right, so I re-wrote it a couple of times, before coming to this result. :D Anyway, the next chapter will be up probably tomorrow I'm almost finished with it. I'm excited about it because it's going to be different than any of the chapters before! It was a great song to work with (the next chapter song, not "Keep Me A Secret")!!! lol. Anyhoo! I hope you enjoyed this one!_


	8. In The Valley of the Dying Sun

**In The Valley of the Dying Sun**

**In the valley of the dying sun I walk a crooked path alone. I came across the shadow of a man with an angel's breath "oh boy," he said to me, "I see your future. Though you long for peace, the sword is your father."**

He heard gunshots. Lots and lots of gunshots. His eyes darted around. He picked one heck of a time to listen to them.

"Stay in the car, Chuck," he told himself. "Just stay in the car." More gunshots went off as he sank lower into seat.

Three years ago, today, Bryce Larkin turned his world upside down...again. Three years ago, today, he'd received the Intersect. It was three years ago, today, that Charles Irving "Chuck" Bartowski became property of the United States government--and their most valuable piece of property, at that.

Against his better judgment, Chuck left the vehicle and went to help them any way he could.

**I'm thinking of you. I'm thinking of you when I kill a good man to keep myself from being killed by him **

Chuck stood looking over the edge of the roof. He felt nauseous. This time, it had nothing to do with the height. This time, he'd just knocked a man off the roof of a ten story building.

He'd never killed anyone before. No, that was Casey's job. Chuck sank to the ground, back against the wall of the ledge. He felt dizzy. The back of his neck grew hot. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

Sarah and Casey were running toward him. He watched their mouths move, but heard no sound.

**I'm thinking of you I'm thinking of you when I hold my girl and wonder if she'll ever love again. **

Chuck laid very still in his bed, staring at his Comic Con poster on the wall. Life was so much simplier when he'd gotten that poster. He didn't have the spy world in his life; there was no Intersect. He didn't kill people.

The thoughts buzzed so loudly in his head that he didn't hear Sarah knock or enter his room.

"Hey," she said softly before closing the door behind her. He made no effort at a response. Chuck felt her sit on the bed. "Are you okay?" She asked.

Chuck rolled over and sat up. "No, I'm not okay," he said, just under snapping at her. "I killed someone today." He let out a deep, shaky breath..

"Chuck, he had a gun pressed against your head," Sarah reminded him. "It was self-defense."

"Self-defense with added bonus features," he retorted in reference to Intersect 2.0. There was a moment of silence before he spoke up again. "What if he had a family? What if he had a wife, or a girlfriend? What about his friends?"

Sarah remembered the first time she had to kill someone. She hadn't accidentally kicked someone off the roof, the way Chuck had, but it was hard nonetheless. She remembered crying herself to sleep for several nights after. There was no kind of training anywhere to prepare someone for taking a life.

Sarah wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.

**I'm thinking of I'm thinking of I'm thinking of I'm thinking of you Wash the blood off my hands**

Chuck sat there, in Sarah's embrace, silently cursing Bryce Larkin for introducing him to this world. He never should have opened that e-mail. He should have deleted it. No Intersect.

If he wouldn't have opened that file, none of this would have happened.

*****

There was a small knock on the door, before someone cracked it open. Ellie poked her head in as Chuck and Sarah pulled apart. Sarah's arms were still around his neck, playing with the curls on the back of his neck. She whispered something to him. He nodded. Ellie watched her kiss him on the forhead before getting up to talk to her.

Sarah followed Chuck's concerned older sister into the living room.

"Sarah, what happened?" Ellie begged, quietly. "I've never seen my brother like this."

Sarah shot a brief glance to Awesome. He shared Ellie's concern.

"Chuck watched someone get killed this morning," she said. Ellie's jaw dropped. "He blames himself. He tried, but he couldn't stop it."

"That's horrible!" Ellie said.

"He doesn't really want to talk about it," Sarah made sure to throw in, for Chuck's sake.

"It's awesome that you're staying with him," Awesome said. "Traumatic experiences are _not_ awesome."

**I'm thinking of I'm thinking of I'm thinking of I'm thinking of you**

Chuck stared at the Morgan Door. He really wished Morgan was there. Grape soda and The Legend of Zelda had gone a long way the last time he felt this bad.

He knew what was going on in the living room. Sarah was telling his family the cover version of what happened and what's wrong with him.

Damn Bryce Larkin for sending him that e-mail.

**Bathed in the powder of a thousand guns I am the king of sorrows watered by the tears of the innocent ones the river grows it moves it swells. **

Bryce Larkin had seen a lot of things since the day he joined the CIA. He was a good spy. He did the job with innocence and instinct. He kept his head above water, yet out of the clouds. He worked great with a partner and he worked great alone.

He was the most sought after spy in the agency. He was known for his accomplishments on the Intersect project, both the old and the new.

He'd ruinded lives. He'd taken lives. He'd given lives.

There was not one moment that Bryce Larkin regretted sending the Intersect to Chuck.

Chuck was a good person. He knew right from wrong and he always did the right thing. Bryce had known then that Chuck was the only person in the world who would use the Intersect the way it should be used: to help people, not gain power.

**"Son," it calls to me, "your days are numbered. Sow the seeds you will, but I am the reaper."**

Bryce looked down at the pavement. It was the spot, he remembered, that started it all. Casey had shot him as he sent the message to Chuck. He remembered the barrel of Casey's gun staring him in the face and remembered Casey's cold gaze as everything went black.

**I'm thinking of you I'm thinking of you when you kill a good man to keep yourself from being killed by him.**

Bryce dreaded the day that Chuck was forced to pull the trigger on someone. He was too good of a person--he didn't have it in him. Bryce knew how badly something like that would scar chuck. It was the reason he had to frame Chuck for cheating back at Stanford. He wouldn't survive as a field agent; he had too much heart.

**I'm thinking of you I'm thinking of you when you hold your girl and wonder if she'll ever love again. **

Bryce thought about the last time he'd seen Sarah. He'd watched her dancing with Chuck. He'd watched her look at Chuck the same way she used to look at him. He new he'd hurt her when he'd gone to destroy the Intersect. She had to live with his apparent death, only to have him reappear.

Bryce remembered silently wishing Chuck the best of luck. Sarah tended to keep the people she loved at a distance. Her walls were tough to crack; no one knew that better than he did. Sarah had never been one to talk about her feelings. Yet, somehow, he knew that Chuck and Sarah would be just fine.

She was ready to give up her career for him. That was something no man had accomplished.

**I'm thinking of I'm thinking of I'm thinking of I'm thinking of you Wash the blood off your hands I'm thinking of I'm thinking of I'm thinking of you**

Bryce continued to walk down the sidewalk, making his way to the train station. He was going deep this time; deeper than any spy had gone before. He was going to take down the Ring from the inside out, the way Fulcrum had tried to do. He hoped one day he could reconnect with his only friend in the world, but that was unlikely.

**I howled at the moon like a wolf in the night. You want to finish it? We're gonna finish it right. And then I felt it with a chill up my spine There are no words to use that truly describe the glory of the angel or the terror in me Tonight will be my ending or tonight my new beginning.**

Bryce entered the small motel. There was a young woman behind the counter.

"Hi," he said, "I need a room for the night, if you have any available."

"Name?"

"Andrew Adkins." She put his information in the computer before giving him a key.

"Check out is at noon." He nodded, taking the key and heading to his room.

As far as everyone knew, Bryce Larkin was dead. he had to make sure it stayed that way.

Once again, he'd managed to cheat death. This time, he was going to fight back. He would complete the mission this time. When the Ring was defeated, he'd help Chuck remove the Intersect once and for all.

**All through the night I wrestled the angel to undo the curse that's burdened me all of my life**

Chuck laid in bed, wide awake. It had never really hit him, until now, what kind of impact the Intersect had made on his life. Even as a kid, it helped shape the man he was today.

His father had designed the Intersect when he and Ellie were younger. It was the reason he'd left them. It was the reason he was back.

He thought back to what had happened earlier that day. The Intersect had given him the self-defense skills pertinent to the situation. Chuck hadn't meant to kick that guy off the roof. He'd even tried to stop him from falling, but he missed. He wasn't fast enough.

**And for the first time I could see that God was not my enemy (I'm thinking of you)**

He looked down to the sleeping blonde beside him. Sarah had been there through the whole thing. She hadn't left him, except when she talked to Ellie and to get them some food. She'd even skipped out on the briefing for him.

He knew she'd fought hard to stay awake with him, but even she needed to rest. He held her close to him.

**And for the first time I could see that God was not my enemy (I'm thinking of you)**

Sarah woke to find that Chuck was holding her securely. He'd finally fallen asleep. Mentally, she cursed herself for falling asleep first.

It had been a traumatic day for him and she had no idea how long it would take for him to come back from this one.

She thought back to Bryce. He was really gone this time. She'd seen his corpse this time. She watched him get dragged away by a Ring agent.

A tear escaped her eye. The new intersect had caused more damage in the last two weeks than the original had in the last three years.

This time she didn't mourn Bryce as a lost lover, but as a lost friend. She knew Chuck was still dealing with it, too.

They needed to get out of Burbank. They needed to get away.

*****

Stephen Bartowski quietly made his way to his son's room. Colonel Casey had informed him of the situation. He knew Charles would probably be asleep, but he still felt the urge to check on him.

He quietly tapped on the door, as not to wake his daughter and son-in-law. When Chuck didn't answer, he quietly cracked the door open and peeked inside. He didn't quite expect to find Agent Walker sleeping wrapped up in his son, though at the same time, he wasn't the least bit surprised.

They were lucky to find love in this business. It was a rare hand that fate had dealt people in their line of work.

He quietly pulled the door shut and escaped back to the couch.

**Like pieces of the sun our light burns on and on and on Like stars in the night sky we shine. I'm living to shine on. I'm living to shine on. I'm living to shine on. I'm living to shine on.**

Sarah Walker had been a lot of places. Ironically, Cancun was not one of them. Chuck had never been there either, which made it an ideal location for them to escape to.

Hopefully, the next few days would help take their minds off of recent events.

Chuck wrapped his hand around hers, lacing their fingers together, as they stepped out of the airport.

* * *

_A/N: So, what'd you think? I was VERY excited about this one because I was able to go a completely different route than all of the other songs! *does victory dance*. So, if you skipped the Bryce part, you should go back and read it because it all fits together, without being completely connected...does that make sense? Anyway, so I hope you guys didn't consider Sarah being out of character. I think after recent events on the show (namely, the hot make out session that was going to escalate to them getting it on *glares at Morgan) I think that would totally be in character for her. _

_This is supposed to take place a couple of weeks after the events of the finale, but I don't think I did a very good job of explaning that. Anyway! Drop me a line and let me know what you think!_


	9. Moment of Truth

**Moment of Truth**

**Here we are in the best years of our lives with no way of knowing when the wheel stops spinning because we don't know where we're going **

Sarah was mad at him and she was making sure that he knew it. Chuck was definitely getting the message. He'd tried to explain it to her, but everything happened so fast that it was all a blur to even _him._

In the last few weeks, Sarah had committed treason to help him find his father, they'd delievered a major blow to Fulcrum, found a new bad guy, _almost_ had sex in a cheap motel, watched Bryce die...again, and would up with the new Intersect in Chuck's head.

Casey, however, seemed to be enjoying the situation. He found more opportunities to poke jokes at them. Each glance they shot was immediately followed by a grunt or crude comment generally relating to a certain motel room x amount of days ago.

**And here we are on the best day of our lives and it's a go let's make it last and cheers you all to that 'cause this moment's never coming back**

Chuck had never in his wildest dreams imagined the day he'd be relieved to be an analyst for the CIA. He wasn't a spy and he was still an "asset" of sorts, but now he was in a completely different ball game. Many different lines seemed to disappear in front of him with this new status. However, it was one line in particular that had his mind buzzing.

**I used to know her brother but I never knew I loved her 'til the day she laid her eyes on me Now I'm jumping up and down she's the only one around and she means every little thing to me.**

Chuck's heart skipped a beat when Casey went upstairs, leaving him alone with Sarah.

"So," he said. "Ellie wanted me to ask if you were coming tomorrow?" He mentally kicked himself. Asing her out before hadn't been this hard. Then again, last time she wasn't angry with him.

"Yeah," she said, looking back to her laptop. "It'll be good for the cover."

"Right," he said, awkwardly. She heard him mutter, "the cover," in a disappointed tone.

**I've got your picture in my wallet and your phone number to call it and I miss you more whenever I think about you **

"Hey Chuck," his sister greeted.

"Hey," he sighed.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said. Even he could tell he was lying. Elaboration was in order. "Sarah and I had a fight."

"First fight: not awesome," Devon said, nodding.

"Technically, it's not our first fight, I mean we've argued before..."

"What happened?"

"You know, I really don't want to talk about it," he said. "I'm just going to take a shower."

With that, he left them.

**I've got your mix tape in my walkman Been so long since we've been talkin' and in a few more days we'll both hook up forever and ever**

Chuck sat inbed listening to a mix on his iPhone as he read through the newest volume of _Ex Machina_. This was the first time the mix bummed him out. It was his Sarah Mix. All of the things he wanted to say on a twenty-two track list.

He looked up when he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in," he said, assuming it was his sister. He was somewhat surprised to find her husband.

"Hey, Bro."

"Hey," he said, setting his comic book aside. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to say that if you need someone to talk to about this thing with you and Sarah--." Chuck knew exactly where Awesome was going with this.

"Acutally," he interrupted, "as much as I appreciate it, I can't exactly talk to you about that." He looked to the door, then whispered, "Spy stuff."

"Right! Gotcha," Awesome nodded. "So, what are you going to do?"

"I'm not really sure," he said. "I'll figure something out..." Suddenly, he had an idea. Thank you, Roan Montgomery.

*****

Chuck slid his dinner jacket on. He made sure to call Sarah this time as to avoid any unpleasant surprises like before. Letting out a deep breath, he picked up the rose from his bed and made his way to the living room.

"Big date?" Ellie asked.

"You can say that," he said.

"I'm glad you and Sarah worked things out."

"Well, that's kind of what this is: an apology. She doesn't exactly know what's up." Ellie smiled. "Do you know where Awesome put his keys? He told me I could borrow the car," he said, awkwardly.

**And here I am on the West Coast of America and I've been trying to think for weeks of all the ways to ask you**

Chuck took a deep breath. Sarah was going to be at the apartment at any moment. It had been a couple of weeks since he'd apologized to Sarah and this insane idea had popped into his head. It was all he could think about. Tonight was the night.

"Hey," Awesome said, to the obviously tense Chuck.

"Hey," he said, letting out a deep breath. "You didn't mention this to Ellie, did you?"

"Dude, Bro-Code," Awesome said, almost hurt.

"Of course not. Sorry." He looked back at his reflection in the mirror. "It's just a normal movie night...with the addition of a diamond ring that seems to weigh a ton," he said, pulling the ring out of his pocket again.

**Now I've brought you to the place where I poured my heart out a million times for a million reasons to offer it to you**

The pizza had arrived all too quickly and the movie didn't seem nearly long enough. Now, here they were, walking to the fountain in an awkward silence as Chuck mentally prepared himself for one of the biggest moments of his life.

"Chuck, are you okay?" Sarah finally asked when she noticed the color seemed to be draining from his face. He sat down on the fountain and like so many times before, she sat beside him, waiting for an explanation.

"Sarah, you know how I feel about you. I love you and I know you don't like the idea, or more appropriately, the _fact_ that I have the new Intersect in my head, but the thing is..." he swallowed hard. She remained silent, knowing he wasn't finished. "The thing is, I'm glad I did it if it was the only way to keep you here." He paused again, before finishing,"I'm not really sure if our relationship is a cover or if it's real, but I had to do it because it was the right thing to do. Plus, I couldn't just let you leave." He let out the breath he seemed to be holding. Why couldn't he have said that two weeks ago when he was trying to explain it to her in the first place?

"Chuck, I wasn't going to leave with Bryce," she said.

"What?" He asked, suddenly recalling that Bryce had mentioned something along those lines before he died.

"I wasn't going to leave with Bryce," she repeated. "I was going to stay."

"Why would you want to do that?" he asked slowly.

**I used to know her brother but I never knew I loved her 'til the day she laid her eyes on me Now I'm jumpin' up and down She's the only one around and she means every little thing to me**

Chuck entered the house with a grin on his face. Ellie squealed with delight and hugged her brother.

"Devon told me!" she said.

"Easy, Sis," he laughed.

"Well?" Awesome asked, cutting him off as he entered the room.

"I didn't ask."

"What?" They asked in unison, both dumbfounded.

"I don't know," he said. "I just...couldn't." He watched them exchange nervous glances. "It's nothing like that! I'm _going _to do it. The fountain just didn't seem right."

"Then, why did you come in with that goofy grin on your face?" Ellie asked confusedly.

"Because," he said, feeling the 'goofy grin' return, "she loves me."

Ellie laughed. "It doesn't take a genius to figure that out!"

**I've got your picture in my wallet and your phone number to call it And I miss you more whenever I think about you**

"Dude!" Morgan said, when Chuck showed him the ring via web cam. "You're really getting married?!"

"Hopefully," Chuck laughed at his friend's gaping mouth. "I haven't asked her yet and she still has to say 'yes'."

"How could she _not _say 'yes'?"

"I appreciate the optimism, Buddy," he said with a chuckle.

The support of his friends and family was greatly appreciated. If only they knew what he'd gone through the last three years to get where he was. Proposing to Sarah Walker was one of the most nervewracking things he could ever anticipate him facing.

"You know I get dibs on best man, though, right?"

Chuck laughed. He was definitely making the right decision.\

**I've got your mix tape in my walkman Been so long since we've been talking And in a few more days we'll both hook up forever and ever**

The two hours that had gone by seemed like an eternity since he'd seen her. Planning a proposal was hard. That's when it hit him: the beach. It was the spot their story began. He didn't count the Buy More; that wasn't real. Their first _real_ moment started in a secluded spot on the beach. She'd asked him to trust her then. Now, he was asking her to trust him with the most important thing he could ask for: her heart.

He pulled out his cell phone to call her, but she'd beaten him to it.

"Hey," he grinned when he answered it.

*****

Captain Awesome entered his brother-in-law's room as he answered his phone.

"Sorry to interrupt, Bro," he said. Chuck motioned him in. After all, he _did_ leave the door open. "Can I use your computer? Ours froze again."

Chuck nodded, motioning for him to shut the door behind him.

"Actually, I was thinking lunch on the beach tomorrow," he said. Pause. "Yes, that beach." Pause. Awesome heard him laugh. "Well, not many people go to secluded beaches." Another pause. "No, it's not about that, although you should know that I will be _very _irritated if I do flash on anything." He stopped suddenly, realizing he'd let that slip in front of Awesome, though he was thankful it wasn't Ellie. "Hey, I have to go." Pause. "Bye."

"Proposing at the beach, huh?" Awesome said, amusedly, as he turned to face Chuck.

"Yeah. Listen, Devon, that part about me flashing on anything has to stay in here. You weren't supposed to hear that."

"No problem, Bro."

"Thanks."

"So, how does a spy propose?" he asked, obviously expecting something completely over the top. Chuck just laughed.

"Well, I'm still a normal guy, Awesome," he said. "I'm not any different than I was. You just know my secret now."

"It's still awesome, Dude!"

**I used to know her brother but I never knew I loved her 'til the day she laid her eyes on me Now I'm jumpin' up and down She's the only one around and she means every little thing to me.**

Chuck watched Sarah from the car. He took another deep breath, but still couldn't make his motor muscles move. What if she said 'no'? It might get awkward between them. What if she asked for reassignment if that happened? He couldn't handle it if she asked for reassignment--if she just walked out of his life like that.

He felt dizzy.

"Hello?" he nearly squeaked when he answered the phone, as he watched Sarah sit in the sand. Luckily, he still had five minutes.

"Did you do it?" He was thankful that it was Ellie.

"No, I haven't. I'm kind of freaking out right now."

"Do you need Devon? I'm at the hospital."

"That might be nice," he said. He couldn't believe he'd just asked for his brother-in-law for back up. This was pathetic.

Awesome was there in under ten minutes, nonetheless. Apparently, he'd been at the sporting goods store close by.

Chuck took another deep breath. This was harder than he thought. He continued to breathe into the paper bag as Awesome told his account of how he'd felt proposing to Ellie and how awesome it was when she said 'yes' and that Chuck was going to be fine.

"You can do this, Bro," Awesome said. "She loves you. It'll be awesome." He took the bag away, shoved the food in Chuck's chest, and nearly shoved him down the small hill.

**I've got your picture in my wallet and your phone number to call it and I miss you more whenever I think about you**

"Hey," he said, sitting beside her as he tried to play it cool. "Sorry, I'm late." He suddenly realized just how late he was.

"You could have called." He couldn't tell if she was upset or messing with him.

"I know," he said, choosing to believe the former. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking." He missed the joking look on her face as he continued rambling. "I mean, I _was _thinking, just about something else." The ring seemed to burn his skin through his pocket. He caught a confused look on her face. He was feeling dizzy again and the back of his neck grew hotter.

"Chuck, are you okay?" She asked, semi-worriedly. "You look like you're about to pass out."

"Wow, this is harder than I thought," he said, wishing he had the paper bag back. He looked her in the eye. For once in his life, he seemed to have her completely befuddled. It was now or never. "The-the thing is that I love you, Sarah Walker, and I'm absolutely crazy about you, and if I don't do this now, I might not ever." He, very nervously, and reached into his pocket. His heart pounded in his chest when he faced her again. "Will you marry me?"

**I've got your mix tape in my walkman Been so long since we've been talkin' and in a few more days we'll both hook up forever and ever.**

Awesome watched Chuck slip the ring on Sarah's finger. Ellie was going to be so mad that she missed this.

"Hey, Babe," he said, when she answered her phone. "Looks like Chuck's getting married."

* * *

_A/N: So, first off: sorry it took sooo long for me to update this! I had a chapter/story written out before this one, but for some reason it won't upload to the site. :( I don't know why. I finally got fed up and quit trying. So, if it ends up working for me, I'll post it, if not oh well. This was intended to be the last Bandwagon chapter/story anyway. I thought it'd end it with this, especially since I'm going to be getting right into the Alexithymia storyline story! There's more info about that in the track list._

_This song came up on my iPod and I immediately thought of the Chuck/Sarah beach scene in The Scientist (chapter 2 of this story) where it talked about the proposal and with the Alexithymia storyline story coming up I thought it would be a fitting way to close this song shuffle thing up. :) _

_Thank you SOOO much to everyone who has reviewed thus far! please review and let me know what you thought of this little snippet! _

_Also! Sorry for any type-os. This one isn't beta-ed or edited, either._


	10. Track List & Important info

_a/n: yeah, there's even a not on the track list! haha. anyhoo! Here are the songs my iPod chose for me. :) if you liked any of the lyrics or are curious as to what the song might sound like, I know for a fact that all of these songs are on youtube. _

_For those of you who enjoyed the Alexithymia/ The Scientist storyline, I am definitely going to continue it as a separate story! I'm not really into songfics, but I'm going to keep that going (my iPod has shuffled some songs for me already) because I do like continuity. So...that being said. The new story is called Chuck Vs The Raven. No, it has NOTHING to do with Edgar Allen Poe, but it will all make sense later on in the actual story. Anyway, I've already begun writing the next part of that story! woot woot!!! _

**Track List**

"Alexithymia" by Anberlin

"The Scientist" by Coldplay

"Mood Rings" by Relient K

"Beautiful Lie" by Ashley Parker Angel

"Forever and Almost Always" by Kate Voegele

"The Mixed Tape" by Jack's Mannequin

"Keep Me A Secret" by Ainslie Henderson

"In the Valley of the Dying Sun" by House of Heroes

"Moment of Truth" by FM Static


End file.
